Teach Social Media: A Plan for Creating a Course Your Students Will Love by Kushin (Sample Chapter)

Matthew J. Kushin, Ph.D. | Purchase the full book on Amazon.com.
Exert From:
Teach Social Media
A Plan for Creating a Course
Your Students Will Love
Matthew J. Kushin, Ph.D.
Purchase in paperback or eBook on
Amazon.com.

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION.....................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER 1: A FRAMEWORK FOR TEACHING KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS, AND
ABILITIES................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
The What, Why, How, Do, Reflect (WWHDR) FrameworkError! Bookmark
not defined.
Learning Goals.........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Requirements...........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Recommended Social Media Resources: Professors, Groups and Lists
......................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER 2: THE SOCIAL MEDIA PROJECT THAT GUIDES THIS CLASS...Error!
Bookmark not defined.
About the Project....................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
The Quasi-Agency Model ................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Choosing a Class Client....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Setting Up the “Background Information” For this Project.............. Error!
Dividing Your Class Into Teams....................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Questions, Comments, Concerns - Oh, My!.....Error! Bookmark not defined.
Sample Syllabus ......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Recommended Readings and More..................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Readings...............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Websites...............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Chapter 2 Appendix...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Sample Syllabus for Course That Meets Twice a Week During the Fall
Semester Over a Period of 15 Weeks..........Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER 3: UNIT 1. ONBOARDING STUDENTS Error! Bookmark not defined.
Suggested Schedule: Week 1...............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Unit Learning Objectives......................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
The What, Why, How, Do, Reflect......................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 1: Semester Social Media ProjectError! Bookmark
not defined.
What..................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Why...................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
How and Do....................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

Teach Social Media: A Plan for Creating a Course Your Students Will Love
Copyright 2019 Matthew J. Kushin
iii
Reflect...............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 2: Introduce Students to Related Concepts ..... Error!
Learning Objective 3: Build Teams..............Error! Bookmark not defined.
How...................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Do.......................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Drilldown: Group Checks and Balances..........Error! Bookmark not defined.
Team Contracts..................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Team Evaluations..............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Firing Teammates and Other Safeguards..Error! Bookmark not defined.
Documentary Recommendation........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Television.............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
The Team Contract Activity Sheet ...............Error! Bookmark not defined.
The Team Members Warning Form............Error! Bookmark not defined.
The Petition to Fire a Team Member FormError!Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER 4. UNIT 2. SOCIAL MEDIA LISTENINGError! Bookmark not defined.
Suggested Schedule: Weeks 2 and 3.................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 1: Introduce Social ListeningError! Bookmark not
defined.
Learning Objective 2: Teach Social Media Listening Tools .............. Error!
How, Do and Reflect ....................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

iv
Learning Objective 3: Introduce Social Media Audits and Why They Are
Performed Learning Objective 4: Apply Social Media Listening Skills to
Conduct Social Media Audit...........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Presentations......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Sample Student Work ......................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Tools ......................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Social Media Listening Exercise Activity SheetError! Bookmark not
defined.
The Audience Analysis Activity Sheet ........Error! Bookmark not defined.
The Social Media Audit Assignment............Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER 5: UNIT 3. THE STRATEGIC BRIEF.....Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 1: Introduce Reasons Why People Share Content
.................................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
What and Why...............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 2: Introduce Content CategoriesError! Bookmark
not defined.
How and Do....................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 3: Introduce Content CalendarsError! Bookmark
not defined.

v
Drilldown: Brainstorming ...................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 4: The Strategic Brief..Error! Bookmark not defined.
Do and Reflect................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Drilldown: What Makes for Good Content?...Error! Bookmark not defined.
Videos....................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Social Media Content Calendar Template .Error! Bookmark not defined.
Strategic Brief Assignment.............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Strategic Brief Assignment Presentation Feedback Form................ Error!
Social Media Grading Rubric..........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Social Media Brand Guidelines......................Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER 6: UNIT 4. CONTENT PERIOD 1, SOCIAL MEDIA INFLUENCERS AND
CONTENT CREATION BEST PRACTICES.............Error! Bookmark not defined.
Content Period 1 Assignment.............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 1: Introducing InfluencersError! Bookmark not
defined.
Do and Reflect................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Drilldown: Best Practices for Creating Social Media Content............... Error!
Social Media Copy..............................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Facebook ..............................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Twitter ..................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Instagram Posts .................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

vi
Story Posts: Facebook, Instagram and SnapchatError! Bookmark not
defined.
Video and Livestreaming................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Drilldown: Contests and Giveaways.................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Documentaries...................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Podcasts................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Content Period 1 Assignment........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Social Media Contest Assignment ................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Content Period Presentation Assignment Feedback Form .............. Error!
Chapter 7: UNIT 5. CONTENT PERIOD 2, SOCIAL MEDIA METRICS, AND
ONGOING SOCIAL LISTENING..............................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Suggested Schedule: Weeks 8, 9 and 10 .........Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 1: Social Media MetricsError! Bookmark not
defined.
Learning Objective 2: Content OptimizationError! Bookmark not
defined.
Learning Objective 3: Ongoing Social Media ListeningError!Bookmarknot
defined.
Recommended Readings......................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

vii
Social Media Measurement Spreadsheet...Error! Bookmark not defined.
CHAPTER 8: UNIT 6. CONTENT PERIOD 3 AND PAID SOCIAL MEDIA
ADVERTISING.........................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Suggested Schedule: Weeks 11, 12, 13, 14 and 15Error! Bookmark not
defined.
Learning Objective 1: Basics of How Paid Social Media Advertising
Works....................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 3: Ad Creative ...............Error! Bookmark not defined.
Learning Objective 4: Introducing Campaign Reporting and The Use of
Data to Improve Advertising Success.........Error! Bookmark not defined.
Facebook Blueprint Courses..........................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Videos....................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

viii
Facebook Advertising Case Study Presentation Assignment (Without
Facebook IQ).......................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Create a Campaign and Ads Set in the Facebook Ads Manager Activity
Create a Social Media Advertisement in the Facebook Creative Hub
Activity..................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Facebook Campaign Reporting and Data Knowledge Check Activity
CHAPTER 9: BONUS ASSIGNMENTS....................Error! Bookmark not defined.
Case Study Paper and Presentation ............Error! Bookmark not defined.
Facebook Advertising Case Study Presentation (With Facebook IQ)
Industry and Software Certifications and Educational Programs . Error!
Personal Branding Assignment ....................Error! Bookmark not defined.
References.................................................................Error! Bookmark not defined.

ix

10
A sample of Chapter 2 is available on the following pages.
The entire book can be purchased on Amazon.com in print and eBook
formats.

12
CHAPTER 2: THE SOCIAL MEDIA PROJECT THAT
GUIDES THIS CLASS
What is the social media project and how does it relate to the quasi-
agency model? What are the assignments that make up the project?
What do I need to prepare ahead of time? This chapter explains the
project, how it works, and shows you how to apply it in your classes.
The social media project is the centerpiece of the class that you will
teach with the guidance of this book. In this chapter, I will introduce
you to the project and cover important considerations.
About the Project
The social media project is the research, planning, execution,
monitoring and – to an extent – evaluation of a social media campaign.
In other words, your students are going to run the social media for a
class client.
It is going to be a ton of fun. Your class will be filled with creative
energy. Your students will create content they can be proud of. When
interviewing for a job, your students will be able to explain the
strategy behind the content they created. Yes, they can use this
content in their portfolio when searching for jobs.
There are several assignments over the course of the semester
which comprise the semester-long project. These assignments build
upon one another. The class is broken down into six units. Below each
unit I have listed the assignments related to the semester-long class
project:

13
1. Onboarding Students
 Assignment: None.
2. Social Media Listening
 Assignment: Social Media Audit
3. The Strategic Brief
 Assignment: The Strategic Brief & Presentation
4. Content 1, Social Media Influencers and Content Creation Best
Practices
 Assignment: Content #1 & Presentation
5. Content 2, Social Media Metrics, and Ongoing Social Listening
6. Content 3 and Paid Social Media Advertising
The Quasi-Agency Model
Your class will follow a quasi-agency model, meaning that you will
act as if your class is an agency taking on a client. As the professor, you
are the account supervisor and your students make up your team on
the account. You will be teaching your students not only how
professional and strategic social media is done, but enabling them to
learn by actually doing it. The students will also learn the basics of the
strategic campaign planning process, which you or other faculty in
your department can build upon in a campaigns class.
Tell your students the above information and tell them that you
expect them to behave as if they are working for a client. Tell them
that this class is about hands-on learning and that you have high
expectations of their work. Tell them that only outstanding content
will be published.
Choosing a Class Client
Client-class fit is important. You as the professor have to manage
the expectations of your client and your students. I work with external
clients in other classes and it has been great. It is a very rewarding
experience. Students learn a ton and build their portfolio. But for my
social media class, I take a different approach.
The level of control that you have as the professor in this class is
very important. While it might be exciting to work with an outside
organization, perhaps even a well-known brand or non-profit, it is

14
likely that those organizations are going to want strict control over
everything that gets published on their social media. While there are
many upsides to this, it is going to make your job a lot harder. If the
client is constantly putting up roadblocks, the students will never
publish anything, and their learning will suffer because they won’t be
able to see the fruits of their labor or monitor their success (As you’ll
see in chapters 7 and 8 in the Content Period 2 and Content Period 3
units of the semester, students will learn to monitor the engagement
of the social media they create).
We’ll be doing a lot in this class and roadblocks can put you behind.
Therefore, I recommend choosing a client that gives you a degree of
freedom over what gets published. The solution that has worked for
me is to run the social media for my department at Shepherd
University, the department of communication. This set up is not
uncommon1. Benefits include:
1. My department and I have established an understanding of what
type of content we are looking for.
2. Because I’ve worked with the department as my client for several
years, I don’t have to onboard them each time. Expectations are
clear on both sides.
3. I have a lot of editorial control over the type of content that we
publish.
4. I have password access to all of the social media accounts for our
department and can share it with students when needed.
5. I am responsible for what gets posted.
6. Because my university is located in a rural area, we don’t have a
lot of access to potential clients. Using our department as a client
helps me overcome this issue.
7. Because there is no external client involved, managing everything
is much simpler.
8. Because the students are all familiar with the department and
university, little time is wasted getting them up to speed on the
client.
1 A poll of the Social Media Professors Facebook group by Professor Anastacia Baird
on October 18, 2018 found that 10 professors reported managing their department’s
social media presence through a class.
See:
https://facebook.com/groups/1764961653763282?view=permalink&id=2155497
588043018

15
Wouldn’t it be better to work with an organization outside of your
department? In a lot of ways, yes. But keep in mind that you are going
to teach your students all of the same knowledge, abilities and skills
that you would be teaching them if you were to work with an external
client.
So consider the level of control that the class client is going to give
you. If you are comfortable working with an outside organization,
large or small, that’s great. Be sure to have a conversation with the
organization to explain what your goals are. If you choose to use an
on-campus organization or, like me, your department as a client, have
those same conversations with your client. In working with your
client, make sure that expectations are set from the get go and clear
communication is established. Here are a few questions to ask:
1. Who is your target audience?
2. What are your social media goals?
3. What does success in this project look like to you?
4. Do you have social media guidelines or policies that I can share
with my students?
5. Do you have an existing social media strategy? If so, do you expect
us to follow it or are we allowed to develop something new?
6. What type of content is your organization looking for when it
comes to social media?
7. What type of content do you not want us to create? Is there any
type of content that should be avoided or that is prohibited?
8. What does the approval process look like for getting the content
that our students will be creating published on your social media
channels?
9. How long does that approval process take?
10. What are your expectations for the content that our students will
be producing?
11. What concerns do you have in working with students on this
project?
12. What other things do I need to make sure my students are aware
of when it comes to creating content for your organization?
Setting Up the “Background Information” For this Project

16
Once you have solidified a class client, you will need some basic
background information that will be used to help onboard your
students to the project. Because this class is about teaching students
to strategically plan and create content, we are going to ground what
they do in the context of a strategic plan. The students in your class
will use this background information and build off of its foundation,
launching them directly into the planning stage of the project.
If you are familiar with strategic campaign planning, then you are
familiar with the four (or three, depending how you teach it) stages of
the campaign process2. They are: 1) Defining the problem or
opportunity, 2) planning and programming, 3) taking action and
communication, and 4) evaluating the program (Broom & Shaw,
2013).
For this project, we are going to create some of the necessary
background research that would be completed in the 1) defining the
problem or opportunity and 2) planning and programming stages.
If you are working with a client, then get the necessary
information directly from them. If you are working with your
department, then work with your department to build this
information. Here’s what you need:
1. Goals: What are the client’s goals for this social media campaign?
Example: To increase awareness of the XYZ University
communication department throughout campus, in the community,
and among our prospective students.
2. Objectives: What are the client’s Specific Measurable Achievable
Relevant and Time Bound (S.M.A.R.T.) objectives for this social
media campaign? You can draft these or have your students create
their own. I prefer to provide one objective and allow the students
to create a secondary objective.
2 While there are several different configurations for the campaign planning process,
with some configurations containing three stages as in the third edition of Randy
Bobbitt and Ruth Sullivan’s Developing the PublicRelationsCampaign:A Team-Based
Approach, thisbook will apply the four-stage planning processasadapted from Cutlip
& Center’s Effective Public Relations by Gen M. Broom and Bey-Ling Sha. It’s not vital
that you follow one approach or the other so long as your students understand the
approach you are using.

17
Example: To increase the number of current students who follow our
social media accounts by 25% over the course of the semester.
3. Audiences: What are your primary and secondary audiences?3
Example:
Primary audiences: 1) current students who major or minor in
communication; 2) potential major and minor students (transfers
from other departments, transfers from other schools, or incoming
freshmen).
Secondary audiences: 1) Parents of current or potential students; 2)
The wider university community; 3) The wider community in our
region.
4. Campaign Theme: The theme guides the focus of your campaign.
It is an overarching idea that applies to all your audiences. It could
be a slogan, a creative concept, an event, a holiday, or other tie in
around which the campaign is organized.
Example: The communication department is the university’s “best
kept secret.” Note that this theme ties into the weakness in our
S.W.O.T. analysis below.
5. Key Messages: Your key messages are the ideas that encircle your
communication efforts – they permeate the content your students
will create.
Example: Our department is a place to grow creatively; Our
department classes are exciting, dynamic, relevant and innovative;
Our graduates are savvy with technology, professional and self-
motivated.
6. Social Media Channel Purpose Statement: This statement helps
ground each social media channel. It is a quick sentence or two
3 Primary audiences are the principal, intended target of your communication. They
are in a decision-making position. Secondary audiences are groups that would also
benefit from your message.

18
describing what the purpose of that social media channel will be.
It will help your students focus their efforts. You can draft this or
have your students create their own. I prefer to provide examples
and then let students modify them.
Example: Twitter - A way to share brief information, news, updates,
and reminders about events and important deadlines. The tone is
welcoming and fun.
7. S.W.O.T. Analysis: – What are the internal strengths and
weaknesses of your client? What are the external opportunities
and threats? You’ll want several for each category. In the example
below, I will provide one for each category.
Example:
Strength – The technology equipment available to our students,
including two computer labs with industry-leading software, a state-
of-the-art television studio and our radio station.
Weakness – The location of our department is in part of the building
that most people never travel to so students don’t know everything
we have to offer.
Opportunity – The location of our university to several small and large
cities;
Threats – There are many other universities within a few hours’ drive.
That’s all the background information you need to get your
students started. Depending on time and availability, you can add
other background information as well, such as a mission statement, a
vision statement, information about the organization, and so forth. By
providing your students with the background information, you will
increase consistency in focus across your student teams. Below, I
discuss how your students will work together in teams to run a social
media channel for your client.

19
Dividing Your Class Into Teams
Your students will work in teams, with each team taking on a
different social media channel. The number of teams will depend on
the number of students you have and the number of social media
channels your class will be managing.
In my class, there are usually four teams with about four or five
students in each team. The social media channels are: Twitter,
Instagram and Snapchat. One team also runs the department blog4.
Feel free to get creative and remember that it’s your class, so make
it what you want. We’ve considered creating a podcast and using that
as a channel.
If your university department is your client and you don’t have a
social media channel, this will be your chance to create it. I started our
Instagram and Snapchat accounts, our Twitter account existed when
I was hired. A few years ago, I avoided using Snapchat because metrics
are hard to follow. But, I capitulated because of its popularity and
because my classes were large enough that I needed a fourth social
media channel. As you’ll see in later assignments, the team that picks
Snapchat has to do a lot of extra work to stay on top of it when
collecting metrics. Therefore, I suggest avoiding Snapchat if you can.
If your class is very large or you do not have many social media
channels to manage, then adjustments may be necessary. Try having
multiple teams work on the same social media channel. For example,
you may have two teams handling Instagram. One team is in charge of
a certain type of content on Instagram – say, creating content for
Instagram stories – and the other team is in charge of a different type
of content – say, feed posts. Another option is to have a team that is
responsible for IGTV content. My class will be experimenting with
IGTV in Fall 2019.
In the next chapter, I will provide tips on forming teams and
provide several checks and balances that I use to make sure teams
work effectively.
4 Many organizations do not consider blogs as part of their social media mix. Blogs
are often used for SEO and other business purposes, such as sales. In this book, blogs
will be discussed alongside social media because blogs are a great platform for
learning to create and promote content.

20
Image 1. A conceptual framework for organizing the “Background Information” for this
project and its relation to the social channels your students will be creating content for.
Questions, Comments, Concerns - Oh, My!
I hope you are getting excited about implementing this into your
class. But, I bet you have some questions and concerns.
Certainly, there are a number of risks involved in putting your
students in charge of running social media for an organization. What
if the students create poor quality content? What if the content they
create isn’t appropriate?
There are a number of checks and balances you can implement to
curb these risks. For example, as you will see in Chapter 5, students
will create a strategic brief that articulates their group’s overall
content plan for the semester. Also, you will give students feedback
that will steer their plan and help them stay on track. You can do this
through written feedback, group meetings, or whatever method you
feel works best.
Further, when students create content, they will not be simply
creating content and posting it to social media. There is a built-in
editorial process. I will describe this process in detailin Chapter 6. For
now, just know that your students will plan their content ahead of
time. They will present that content to the class. The other students in
the class will provide verbal feedback to the group and ask questions
while also completing a worksheet which they will turn into you.

21
Because your students will be evaluating their peers and providing
you with written feedback via the worksheet, the extra eyes can help
bring to light things that you did not see or consider. You will thus
have a chance to review and approve or deny all content before it is
posted.
Image 2. The gatekeeper workflow for this project.
You may also have mixed feelings about having students work in
teams. I understand. I was that way too. But ever since I saw a
presentation by Dr. Larry Michaelsen on team-based learning while I
was on faculty at Utah Valley University, I have been a fan of team-
based projects in my classes. Every one of my classes now requires
students to work in teams in some capacity. There are, of course,
benefits and drawbacks to this. Common drawbacks include unequal
workloads, interpersonal conflict, poor communication, leadership
vacuums, and groupthink, among others. I have dealt with all of these
drawbacks and I know I will continue to. In Chapter 3, I will provide a
number of resources for helping manage teams, or I should say,
helping teams manage themselves. Despite the drawbacks, here are
some benefits to team-based learning:
1. Peer-based learning: Students don’t just learn from you. They
learn from one another. Peer-based learning has received
scholarly attention in psychology and education circles. A
student’s classmates have unique perspectives, knowledge, skills

22
and abilities that the student doesn’t have. By engaging in tasks
such as discussing ideas, working through problems
collaboratively, and explaining what they are learning to fellow
students, students are actively engaged in learning5.
2. Skills Learning: Students can develop important skills and
abilities. These include teamwork, interpersonal skills, effective
communication, leadership, group decision-making, critical
thinking, problem solving, among others.
3. Classroom Management: A classroom is much more manageable
when you are providing help to a few groups as opposed to 20
individuals. Consider how much more time you will have to
provide in-class support to teams as well as to manage team
meetings during office hours.
4. Less grading: The math is simple. Imagine that in Class A you have
20 students and each student does a project. In Class B you have
20 students divided in teams of four, such that there are 5 groups.
Each group does a project. In Class B your grading load is 25% that
of your grading load in Class A.
Sample Syllabus
A sample syllabus for a class that meets twice a week is available in
the chapter appendix.
Recommended Readings and More
Readings
Clayton, B. & Ordway, D.M. (n.d.). How social media may influence student
loyalty to a university. Harvard Kennedy School Shorenstein Center on
Media, Politics and Public Policy Journalist’s Resource. Retrieved from
https://journalistsresource.org/studies/society/education/social-
media-university-student-brand-loyalty/
5 To learn more about what peer-based learning is, see Damon, W. (1984). Peer
education: The untapped potential. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology,
5(4), 331-343. If you prefer a quick primer on peer-based learning and its benefits, I
recommend this essay by David Boud, published on Stanford’s “Tomorrow’s
Professor Postings” blog. https://tomprof.stanford.edu/posting/418. You may also
enjoy thisbrief summary of peer-based learning written by Matthew C.E. Gwee, which
can be found at http://www.cdtl.nus.edu.sg/success/sl13.htm

23
Exert From:
Teach Social Media
A Plan for Creating a Course
Your Students Will Love
Matthew J. Kushin, Ph.D.
Purchase in paperback or eBook on
Amazon.com

Teach Social Media: A Plan for Creating a Course Your Students Will Love by Kushin (Sample Chapter)

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